Dream a Little Dream
by LexVictoriaX
Summary: In which the Doctor and Rose attempt not to run for their lives. Fluff, Adventure, Horror.
1. Dream's Prologue

Hi guys! Been away for a while, but I've been working on this fic and I thought I'd start posting because I haven't put up anything Doctor Who in a while :) Basically, this'll probably be four or five parts... maybe six, and I'll be posting every week. This is my first attempt at a real adventure/horror Who fic, so criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who.

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DREAM'S PROLOGUE

The TARDIS hurled through space at warped speed, tumbling towards the atmosphere like a rocket.

Command station, orbiting at an altitude of 400 km:

"Captain, we've got an object set to enter the atmosphere in three, two-"

"Get an ID on it."

"It's… A blue box. No other readings available, but looks to be a spacecraft. I swear, it's a blue box." A pause. "Should we send dispatch?"

"No." Silence. "God help them."

Poundingpounding_pounding_. Fumbling with the sonic, Rose Tyler tried to fix it on the correct setting. She just needed to get it to One, but the blonde's fingers had never been so clumsy.

_Poundingpoundingpouding._

"Please please please please," she breathed, shaking the thing and pointing it at the door again. If she could only open that door, if she could just get to the other side and to the Doctor—

_BANG_.

She jumped, turning to look at the iron slab facing her back. It was opening.

Rose didn't know what was on the other side of the door. She'd caught only the briefest of glimpses; a shadow thing moving along in the dark… and in this place, there were many shadows to move around in. What ever it was, it was bad, and it wanted her. "Work! Come on, please, work!"

She was desperate. Finally managing to get the sonic to the correct setting, the blonde pressed the little silver button on its side, immediately slipping through the door and sonicking it shut. She needed to deadlock it, but she couldn't remember which setting. "Doc-"

He wasn't there.

But he had to be. She knew he was here, that was why she'd come. He needed to be saved. She needed to save him. "DOCTOR?!"

There was no one to call. Rose Tyler had locked herself in a closet-sized concrete room with no windows and a steel door.

_Bangbangbangbangbangbangbang._

The creature was pounding on the door behind her, and Rose broke. She couldn't get out. She couldn't save him. She didn't know where he was. Had she missed something? What did she miss?

And then a whisper. A cold voice slithering under the door and into her eardrums:

_The Doctor imparts to his friends, tales of woe and war and blood _

_Warriors do they become, and fight until the night has come_

_And in the day they fade away, like humans all must turns to dust _

_The Doctor fades, the Doctor dies, all at the hands of whom he loves_

Dead. She remembered now; how could she forget? He was dead. How could she forget that?! He'd died trying to save her from those _things_… he'd been swallowed up by the dark. How could she not remember something like that?!

He'd _screamed_ as they changed him; hurt him. She'd been powerless to stop it. She'd tried, but he'd yelled at her, telling her to run and save herself, to get back to the TARDIS. She did, thinking that his ship would be the one thing to save him.

But she'd heard him die: screams of pain and anguish and then nothing. Then dragging feet. Then silence. Then poundingpoundingpounding.

Swallowing thickly, Rose Tyler put on a brave face and took the sonic screwdriver out, opening the door. If she couldn't save him, she would die trying to end the thing that had killed him.

But it wasn't a thing at all. It was _him_. In a ripped suit and tie, with black pointed teeth and blood red eyes he stared blankly at her before wheezing and reaching forward. His hands were bloodied, the skin on his face was torn like tissue paper and clumps of his hair were missing. He took hold of her neck and she screamed-

Rose Tyler awoke drenched in sweat and twisted in her bed sheets. She whimpered as she ripped them off and almost ran out of her room, feeling nauseas. She needed water. She needed to cry. She needed to scream.

"Rose?"

She needed the Doctor.

The blonde launched herself at the unsuspecting alien, hugging him tightly as she whispered her thanks in any and every way she knew how. He hugged back just as enthusiastically, frowning when he felt his companion shaking like a leaf. She was cold and drenched in sweat, and her breathing was unusually elevated. "Rose, are you alright?"

She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes as she took in his wonderfully coloured face and beautiful eyes and intact skin. She touched him just to be sure; his hair was all there, his eyes were alert and bright. He wasn't dead; he was okay. Raggedly, the young woman breathed out, shaking her head as she dissolved into tears, burying her head in his chest as her left hand gripped his shirt, her right arm encircling his waist.

Rose pulled herself together roughly two minutes later, though still held to him fast. "Nightmare?" he asked gently, stroking her hair.

The blonde nodded. "You were dead," she rasped out, shivering at the thought. "And not just dead… Y-you changed. You came after me. And I watched it all happen. I let you die. I heard you scream and then you just- you told me to get to the TARDIS and I went. And then I forgot. Doctor, I let you die and I forgot!" Her voice was practically hysterical.

"Rose, listen," he said, taking her face in his hands. "You did not let me die. It was just a dream."

"But how could I forget something like that?" she whispered, "and how could I just leave you?"

He thought it best not to comment that leaving him was probably the right decision in any given situation, dream or otherwise. Instead, he held her more tightly, cooing reassurances in her ear: "It was just a dream," he repeated softly, fingers running through her hair. "You're safe now."

She hadn't been safe all day. In fact, neither of them had been. After a particularly close call on Petra Nine, the pair had stumbled into the TARDIS beyond exhausted, clutching at each other for support and covered in soot and shallow cuts and sweat. They patched up before getting some food in their stomachs and staggering off in different directions: Rose towards her bed, and the Doctor towards the console room.

He found a nice, quiet piece of space and suspended his ship, doing some necessary maintenance before heading off to bed himself. It was then that he'd run into Rose.

The blonde was only slightly quivering now and looked to her Time Lord companion, exhausted. He gave her a smile and a hug and helped her back into bed, insisting that sleep was exactly what she needed despite the fact that it was the last thing the blonde wanted to do. The alien whispered goodnight as he pressed his lips to his companion's forehead, the weight of the day hitting him hard. He was more tired than he'd been in eons. The Doctor was pulling away to get to his own bed when she grabbed his sleeve. "Would you… stay? Please."

Of course he would. In fact, curling up with Rose seemed an even better idea than laying by himself.

Kicking off his shoes, the Time Lord crawled under the covers, tensing for only a moment as his companion cuddled up to him, sighing. "I'll never hurt you, Doctor," she murmured sleepily, "you know that, yeah?"

"'Course, Rose. 'Course I do."

The Doctor noted that Rose, despite her exhausted state, did not seem to be able to stop touching him. Tracing him… Reminding herself that he was there. Under normal circumstances, the Time Lord knew he would be obligated to pull away, but with his companion so shaken, he joyfully allowed himself the indulgence. The excessive touching was for a good reason. A logical reason.

The Doctor fell asleep with that thought.


	2. Empyreanan's Symphony

Hello lovely people! So, this one came way early... I finished and couldn't wait to post. Hope you enjoy!

A big shout out to all the amazing people who favourited and followed this story, and especially to those who reviewed:sickpuppy44, ChildofGallifrey7, krikanalo, and imsuchanut! You guys make me so happy :)

Again, I don't own Doctor Who.

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EMPYREANAN'S SYMPHONY

"So! A billion places to go and all the time of creation… Where to next?"

Rose shifted from one foot to the other. It wasn't that she didn't want to do go on an adventure… She just wasn't up for another near-death experience. Not yet. "Can we go somewhere quiet?"

He looked at her, confused.

"Y'know…" she intoned, "somewhere beautiful and relaxing where we don't have to worry 'bout running for our lives?"

"Like a holiday?"

"Exactly."

The last thing Rose expected was the smile that broke across her companion's face. "Perfect! Been wanting one of those myself. And I know just the place." He smiled at her, springing into action as he danced around the console, hands flying as he twisted, pressed and yanked at different mechanical pieces. "Beautiful planet: Relaxing, serene, picturesque… No flame throwing chameleons." He stopped, grinning at her. "A proper holiday."

And with that the Time Lord released the handbrake, the TARDIS hurling through space at warped speed, tumbling towards the planet's atmosphere like a rocket.

The landing was not the smoothest one the alien had ever executed, but it served its purpose well enough, parking in the middle of a beautiful valley. "So, where are we?" Rose asked, excited.

The Doctor merely smirked, leaning on the console with his arms crossed over his chest. "Go see for yourself."

With a brilliant smile, the blonde bounded towards the door, swinging it open and stepping outside, awed.

It was beautiful. Quiet. Very quiet… Even eerily quiet, but gorgeous nonetheless. The flowers in the field they had landed in came up to her waist and were in all manner of colours, and the snow-capped mountain peaks seemed to touch the sky. Every plant in the valley bent and swayed in a breeze that felt much like a sigh.

Rose Tyler looked at the mauve sky in amazement. "It's so beautiful."

"It is." The Doctor walked up beside her, smiling triumphantly. Who said he couldn't go on holiday? Look at him! Look at _them_: First the cuddling the night before, now a relaxing holiday just the two of them… it was all very domestic.

Unbidden, the wonderful warmth of last night came tumbling into his consciousness, once again evoking feelings of happiness he never thought he'd feel again. The Doctor couldn't help but remember the way she'd touched him obsessively, as if making sure he hadn't disappeared; the way she'd cuddled into him; the way she'd ran her hands through his hair, massaging his scalp; the way she'd kissed the corner of his mouth, drowsy and half-awake.

He actively focused on the memory of her bare skin again his, of how good it felt to be her protector in the battle for restful sleep… He had let himself, however unwisely, run away with the fantasy of falling asleep like that every night.

He liked that idea more than he probably should have.

Upon waking the next morning, Rose had been as radiant as her namesake as she smiled and cuddled and thanked her alien companion. He considered himself lucky and cherished the contact, becoming more bold in both action and thought. He'd held her hand, kissed her cheek, stroked her hair. He'd let himself think that this trip would be different. That they could spend the entirety of the journey wrapped up in one another and never leave.

But that was an illusion. A fantasy. Because, as always, something wasn't right. "D'you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Exactly." He frowned, looking at the skyline as he started to make his way towards the nearest edge of forest.

"Doctor, hear what?" Rose repeated nervously.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." The Time Lord looked back at her, chewing his lower lip in concentration. "Don't you find that a bit odd? That we can't hear anything, I mean?"

"Well, are we supposed to hear something? I dunno; new planet, new population, new atmosphere… Maybe it's just naturally silent?" She said the last almost hopefully.

"No." The alien shook his head, dashing her hopes. "Something's wrong. Something's very wrong."

Rose had half a mind to roll her eyes. It wasn't that she was ungrateful or spoiled, but this happened _every time_. Was there no reprieve? Did they not get a break once in a while? But the blonde bit her tongue and looked at her companion with a forced smile. "Right. Let's go, then."

"Rose, I'm sorry-"

"'S what we do, right? We save the world. Every world."

"We'll go somewhere nice next, I promise. A real pleasure planet."

He'd been saying that a lot lately.

The blonde merely nodded, sidling up to the Time Lord and taking his hand, squeezing gently. She wasn't angry or fed up, not really. She loved this life, with him… Sometimes, it just got to be tiring. Sometimes, she just needed one day of relaxation to recharge.

Most days, this didn't happen. But she had to remind herself that it was worth it, it was always worth it. The Doctor looked at his companion, concerned. This time, she did roll her eyes, walking ahead with a jump in her step. "Are you coming?"

He followed, grinning at her back as he caught up, once again amazed at how wonderful she was. And resilient. Wonderful, resilient Rose. "You won't be too tired?"

She turned, frowning at him. "Since when have I ever been too tired to save a world?"

"I just thought-"

"I'll be fine, promise. Now come on, this silence is too loud."

They began their trek through the forest, hand in hand, the planet's beauty not lost on Rose Tyler. The colours were exquisite, every organism coloured so brightly she could hardly wrap her head around the fact that it was natural. "It's beautiful here," she said softly, finger stroking a mauve leaf.

The Doctor nodded. "The planet Empryeanan. Known as the Jewel of the Five Great Systems… Sister to the great planet of Rhodenesia: the first civilization of the Great Men. It's a conservation planet, the first of it's kind. Brilliant idea, actually: this planet, for the most part, remains untouched by any alien life forms. It's used as a tourist attraction, like the national parks you lot have on Earth."

Rose frowned. "Then, it shouldn't be this quiet."

"Exactly. No tourists, no Marun, no _animals_. We haven't seen a single-"

"Marun?" Rose asked.

"Marun Yuld. He's the chief biologist in charge of this project. Actually, he's the only biologist. Shouldn't have been, this planet is too big and rich for just one person, but Marun was intent on being the only person living here. He's brilliant; a true visionary in his field. In fact, he was the revolutionary that completely changed the environmentalist movement in the Dark Age and brought human kind to the sustainable living it has now."

"So… he saves us? I mean, everything on the telly these days goes on about global warming and the world ending. Marun Yuld saves us?"

The Doctor looked at his companion curiously. "No, you all save yourselves. Eventually, people start to realize that the environment is important, and they make changes. The most brilliant man on Earth can discover the perfect way of life, but if nobody changes the way they live, nothing changes. The Human Race decides to collectively save itself and spread out among the stars… Brilliant, isn't it?"

"Brilliant." Rose smiled, bumping shoulders with the Time Lord. He grinned back before continuing: "Well, Marun Yuld started this project. He lives in an eco-lab just south of here and studies the wildlife, never further interfering with the balance of things. He brings in small groups of tourists and gives the tours himself."

"Doesn't he get lonely?"

The alien paused. "…Dunno. I'd expect so, late at night. But that's the job."

A rustle in the bushes behind them cause the pair to jump, turning quickly while brandishing the sonic screwdriver. "Hello?" the Doctor called, "Marun?"

But once again, there was complete and utter silence.

Cautiously, the Time Lord walked up to the vegetation, parting the bushes and looking at the forest floor, Rose close behind. "Oh my God," she breathed.

It was the carcass of some small animal, long rotted in the earth. Nothing crawled in and out of the rotting flesh: no maggots, no other strange organisms… There was no smell, either, just dried blood on a torn open body, pieces of meat hacked off viciously and trailed across the floor. Bones had been broken, and the blonde could see sparkling white ribs that had been picked dry of meat. "Doctor?"

"Keep moving," he said seriously, lowly. "Something's not right."

They walked more than briskly, hearts pounding as another bush rustled. Breaking out into a run, the pair raced through the wood, running through shallow streams and over hills, never looking back. Through valleys and over fallen trees the Time Lord and Human ran, both too uneasy to stop.

Dark would be falling soon, and neither were ready.


	3. The Qa Quartet

**So, again, posting earlier than necessary! Thanks to imsuchanut for reviewing :)**

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THE QA QUARTET

Finally, the Doctor stopped in front of a hill with a door, stepping up to the metal slab and banging on it. "Don't worry, Rose. We'll be fine once Marun let's us in. Marun! Marun Yuld!" Rose tried to think positive, but after the numerous corpses and rustles they'd seen and heard, it was almost certain that Marun Yuld was little more than a ripe corpse himself.

After banging for a good two minutes, the Doctor gave up, opening the door with his sonic screwdriver. Quickly, he and Rose entered, finding themselves in complete blackness. The sound of the sonic rang out and the lights flickered on, weakly.

The sight before the pair did nothing to ease their anxiety: the reception room had been torn apart, the door to the lab ripped open and clawed at. Papers were strewn all over, chairs were broken and tipped over, the walls were scratched.

The lab itself did not fare any better. Glassware was shattered, benches overturned and broken, substances littering the floor… One particular microscope had been knocked over, it's objective lenses shattered over a piece of paper that was torn at the edges. Frowning, the young woman reached for the document, skimming the chicken scratch writing with a squint. She had seen this before. "Doctor? Come see."

He strode over, putting on his specs. "I don't really understand what it's saying," she continued, "but it looks like the results of some experiment, yeah?"

The Doctor's frown deepened, his voice dark. "How did you know to pick this up?"

"What?"

"This paper, Rose. Out of every bit of paper in this entire lab, how did you know to pick this one up? You went straight for it. _Why_?"

"I dunno. It just looked… interesting, I guess. It called out to me."

"It called out to you?" he asked dubiously.

"Yeah. Why's it so important anyway? It's like you said: hundreds of papers in here, probably all lab data. What makes this so special?"

The Time Lord bit his lip, fidgeting for a moment before handing the paper back to her. "See the values on the leftmost column? Those are empathetra levels."

She nodded. "Right. And empathetra is…?"

The Doctor gave her a look, one of the ones that made her feel small. She raised a row defiantly. "Go on. Empathetra is…"

"A hormone. More specifically, a hormone that exclusively triggers the empathetic response in specific organisms. See, on this planet, there are these creatures called the Qa, who were extraordinary mainly because of their sensitivity to any and all pheromones, and then the production of empathetra right after that fact."

"So… the Qa could feel empathy?"

"Yes! The Qa were essentially what you'd call empaths: they could sense people's emotions and behave accordingly. Which was unheard of before: pheromones of a species are usually only detected by organisms of that same species."

"But not for the Qa."

"Exactly. They used it as a defense mechanism. Upon secreting empathetra, the hormone takes on the smell of the pheromone it had previously been activated by. Now, look at the levels on the right. Doesn't that seem low for a creature that uses this hormone to survive?"

"But why is it so low? Some sort of plague or something?"

The Doctor flipped the paper over, seeing if there was anything of note on the other side. There was.

_Trial #3 Observations: _

_Subjects seemed more aggressive. Subject 23 demonstrated signs of frustration so great, it bit untested organism. They have grown to three times their normal size, and larynx transplants have yielded marginal results. Need to work out kinks but there are whispers and whispers mean the end._

"He was testing on the Qa?" Rose asked, "but he swore to protect this planet!"

"He did," the Doctor agreed grimly, "but look at this writing, this isn't the proper procedure for recording observations. And see the end bit? That's definitely not the work of a man who's well. But why? Why would he- _Oh_."

"What?"

"Oh, Rose, you're brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed, kissing her forehead spontaneously. "That's it! _He was alone_. As the novelty of this new concept planet wore off, less and less people starting to visit… Marun was alone. Completely alone. It drove him mad."

"But what about the Qa? If they're empaths, they must have been some form of good companionship, yeah?"

"Not enough," the Doctor replied. "They speak at a frequency undetectable to the human ear. That's why he was trying to change them; they were the best candidates. Unfortunately, it looks like the experiments backfired. The Qa were a very peaceful species: herbivores, quiet, loyal… Never vicious. They didn't have to be." The alien picked up a paper on one of the bench tops, shaking his head. "Marun, what did you do to them?" Holding out the piece of paper to his companion, the blonde took it hesitantly.

It was a drawing of a creature in stages of metamorphosis. From an adorable, brightly coloured ball of fluff about the size of a teacup with large eyes, four small paws, large ears that resembled those of a cat and a round, pointed nose, to a dark creature whose limbs had grown longer, body more slim, and eyes completely black. From the drawing alone, Rose thought they looked like shadows.

Shadowshadowshadowshadow.

"_Doctor!"_

"_Rose, get back to the TARDIS!"_

_Poundingpoundingpounding. _

"Oh my God," the young woman breathed. "Doctor?" But the Doctor was too busy poking around the lab, frowning at every paper he came across. "Doctor," she called, feeling lightheaded. This was impossible. This wasn't happening. There was no way this was happening. It was another dream. Another terrible, terrible dream. She pinched herself and a sharp pain shot through he arm. She felt like crying. "Doctor!"

He turned, the volume breaking his intense concentration and rushed to her side in an instant, a concerned look adorning his features. "Rose? What's wrong?"

"We need to leave."

"What-"

"Now."

"Why -"

"My dream. This is my dream. The Qa, they're the creatures _from my dream_. They're coming for us."

"Rose, it was just a nightmare-"

"I watched you die!" she exclaimed frantically, holding up the paper for him. "I watched you be ripped apart by these things and turned into one of them! Are you seriously willing to take that chance? And for what? _What is left here_?"

"We need to stay."

"Well, what are we meant to do!?" she exclaimed, desperately. "There is _nothing_ left for us here! We need to _leave_."

"Not when we can save them!"

"Save who?! The Qa? Marun? They're all _dead_, Doctor! Everything on this planet is dead, and you know it! Please, don't make me watch you die. Not again. Please. _We need to go_."

Taking a step towards her, both parties froze as a rustle of paper was heard from the reception room, a metal stool being knocked to the side immediately after. Rose jumped, heart beating out of her chest as she heard it, low and dark as ink, slithering upon the floor and into her eardrums:

_Can you hear us in the dark? Black like night that drowns out stars._

_Can you see us eat your meat? Raw and red the greatest feast._

_Not long now, no, not long now, the blood and red we will devour._

_Too long, yes, it's been too long, since fresh meat sang it's boisterous song._

"Doctor?" she whispered, horrified.

"Run."


	4. The Trouble Clef

**Another chapter :) Big thanks to imsuchanut, MuppetKatie, TenRose4ever and krikanalo for reviewing!**

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THE TROUBLE CLEF

They made for the first available exit; a half-ripped open piece of metal the pair had to climb over. Rose went first, propelling herself up and over the structure quickly as she continued on, turning to see the Doctor's laces get caught on a sharp piece of metal and fall headfirst onto the floor. "Doctor!" Running back, the young woman pulled her companion up, the slithered whispers drawing louder with every second. Finally getting the Time Lord untangled, they took off, running down hallway after hallway until Rose was so lost, she had no idea she'd ever find her way out of the hill. "Why would he have all these tunnels?" she asked as they stopped, completely out of breath.

"Marun had the biggest research institute in the Galaxy," the Doctor explained, looking around to figure out which way to run next. "Bigger than the one on Threnn, bigger than the Glaswell Starship Research Institute of the 52nd Sons… And that ship was the size of Pluto." The alien licked his finger and held it up, the quiet much too eerie in the dim despite the fact that it meant safety. The only light they had was from the sonic screwdriver… everything else was broken. "This way."

He grabbed her hand and they were off again, though his time their sprint was reduced to a fast walk. "We're gonna die in here, aren't we?" the blonde asked. "My dream is going to come true."

"Rose, stop it."

"I'm trying to be realistic."

"So am I."

They continued walking before Rose broke the silence. "Doctor, I'm not like you. I'm going to need to rest and eat soon."

"We'll find a place."

That place turned out to be an area where the normally metal-sheathed tunnels gave way to dirt and roots and rock. The Doctor spied an alcove carved into the very top of the wall and managed to hoist himself and his companion up, the pair crawling as far back into the space as possible. They cuddled together, hugging each other tightly. Rose stomach growled loudly and she looked at the Doctor in embarrassment, the Time Lord grinning at her before shutting off the sonic to root around in his pockets.

Good thing, too, because the slithering voice came back, soft and then louder, chanting:

_Meat, meat, meat, meat_

_Juicy red so scared and sweet_

_Here we come oh, here we come_

_You cannot forever run_

The pair held completely still, scarcely breathing as the voice came right up to their alcove, sniffing and staying for about a minute before heading up in the opposite direction.

_Gone gone gone gone_

_But fear's all over where you've run_

When it disappeared completely, Rose waited a good five minutes before letting out a breath, the thing whooshing out of her in a choked mixture of a gasp and tears as she held fast to the Doctor, heart racing. He tried to calm her down, but his nerves had been rattled just the same.

This was a pickle they'd have a hard time getting out of. He had no idea where they were, these things were hunting them obsessively, and they had no food, no water, no light. Unless…

Reaching into his pockets, the alien managed to produce a small decade-old bottle of water, a packet of five century-old jelly babies, and a mini lantern. "Right, Rose," the Doctor whispered, "it's going to be all right."

He turned the lantern on and his companion shut it off immediately, shaking her head in the blackness. "What if they see it?"

She made a good point. "Right. Well, I've got food and water. So…" He took her hands, deftly putting some candy in them. "Go on, they should still be good."

"Should?"

"Just work with me. If it feels like you'll break a tooth, suck on it. If it tastes unpleasant, spit it out."

She popped one into her mouth, sucking on it. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Eat."

"I'm not human, I don't need food and sleep like you do."

"Please, Doctor, just eat one. For me." She placed five into his hands and he rolled his eyes, shoving them into his mouth anyway. "Drink water, too," she insisted.

He drank a sip before handing the bottle to her, the blonde being very careful with rationing but obviously parched. After they had finished their meal, they tangled their bodies together again, finding comfort in one another. The Doctor swallowed thickly. "Rose? If… If your dream does start to come true, I want you to get back to the TARDIS. You just go home and let her collect dust somewhere, like I told you before, alright?"

"No."

"Rose-"

"_No._ If my dream happens, we're both dead anyway. I will not leave you." A shaky breath. "Besides, knowing you're dead? Knowing I killed you? I wouldn't want to live."

"Rose Tyler, if push comes to shove you _will_ get to that TARDIS."

"The only way I'm getting in the ship is if you take me there yourself."

"You're impossible. Why do you never listen-"

"If I'd have listened to you all the time, you'd be dead. And yet here we both are, running for our lives again."

She heard him sigh. "I really am sorry about all this, Rose. You were right, we should have just left-"

He felt her shrug in his arms. "S'okay. We're in it now, nothing we can do about that. As long as we're doing it together, s'not so bad."

The Doctor smiled in the blackness, pressing a kiss to the top of the blonde's head. "…Try and get some sleep."

She woke up two hours later, still tired but unable to fall back asleep. Taking her hand, the Doctor led them through too many dark tunnels to count, twisting up and down in the Earth. At one point, they heard running water and stopped for a drink, the Time Lord testing the drink before with his sonic. If you asked Rose how long they were down there, the blond would have said a year.

If you asked the Doctor it was eight hours.

As they made their way in the blackness, they'd sometimes hear whispers coming closer and fading again, but never close enough to have to run.

Not until they reached the well.

It was called as such because of its natural cylindrical formation: a spring deep under the crust of the Earth. Marun used to get his water from here, and so had a five foot wooden piece stuck in tunnel overhead, holding up a pulley system complete with hempen rope and metal bucket. If you looked up, you'd be able to see light streaming through from the surface.

It was this light the Doctor and his companion first witnessed when they were running from the Qa. One had almost cornered them again, and the pair had run as fast as their legs could carry them, pushing their bodies to their absolute limits when the bright stream of white light came into view ahead.

The pair ran straight for it, hands grasped between their bodies, as they practically flew over the dirt surface beneath their feet. Arriving a hair before his companion, the Doctor skidded to halt in the kick of time, looking down into what looked to be a never-ending hole. Rose almost toppled them both into the abyss, unable to stop in time, but the alien managed to right them again, thinking of a solution as the whispers came closer by the second. There was the rope. The rope that was tied to the wooden piece above. If they climbed that they could get back to the surface and the ship-

"Doctor!" At this point, the blonde was inching them closer to the edge, more willing to fall to her doom than eaten by shadow creatures. Looking over his shoulder for half a moment, however, the blonde came to the same conclusion of her companion: "Jump. We need to jump."

He went first, wanting to make sure the rope and wood were strong enough to hold more weight. Immediately after grabbing hold of the line, the alien began to climb, making enough room for his blonde human to jump and grab the rope as well. She did, hitting the rock and dirt of the other tunnel wall as she swung to the side with momentum. Rose had only just inched up a bit when a black mass jumped for the hemp as well, sending all three swinging and clutching to line for their lives. It made grotesque, slithery and garbled noises under the blonde and she panicked, climbing up as fast as she could.

And then her pant leg was torn.

Rose shrieked, shaking her leg wildly and grimacing when the clawed hand came to swipe at her again, this time tearing her skin. The third time, it grabbed her ankle, claws poking holes in her flesh as it pulled her downwards, her hands chafing painfully against the rope as she screamed. Rose kicked wildly, looking up towards the Doctor as he looked down, helpless. For the first time in a very long time, he was powerless. He had no idea what to do, and couldn't do anything even if he did.

He could only watch.

A garbled shriek, and then the black mass was flailing as it fell, grabbing his companion's foot at the last possible moment. Rose lost her grip screaming as she reached out for empty space.

The Doctor didn't know how, but he slid down the rope and reached out just in time to grab her sweaty, slippery hand. The creature fell, losing its grip on the blonde shortly thereafter. The Time Lord grimaced. There was no way he could hold on, especially not if their hands kept sweating. He could feel that his palms were raw and grunted, looking up as he attempted to lift her with one hand.

That was when he saw it: string by string, the rope was fraying. He cursed, panicking as he attempted to swing them to safety, regretting the action when Rose almost slipped from his grasp. "Doctor?" she whimpered, nervously.

"It's going to be alright, Rose."

A lie.

Rose Tyler had always heard that when committing suicide, jumping off a tall structure was a good way to go. Apparently, you had a heart attack before you hit the ground, saving you from any and all possible pain.

That was a bold faced lie.

She knew this because she didn't have a heart attack, even when it felt like her stomach was in her throat and her heart would explode. She knew because she was still breathing when she bounced off one wall and then another, ribs cracking.

Rose knew because even when the Doctor fell into her, holding her clumsily and yelling his apologies, even when she gasped for breath, she was still alive. She remembered looking at the Doctor for what she thought was going to be the last time, having trouble seeing him in the dark and through her blurred vision. Tears or the wind, she wasn't sure, but she couldn't see him. Not really.

In that moment, nothing spectacular happened. There were no professions of love, no kisses, no dying words: just a look. And in that look, all was understood.

_I love you_.


	5. Requiem for Empyreanan

**Almost at the end! I think we have two, maybe three chapters to go... Scary, huh? Again, thank you so much to everyone who's been reading and most of all, reviewing: imsuchanut, krikanalo, Caraoke-Cherry, TenRose4ever, In the Fob Watch, MuppetKatie, and and GryffindorGrl97. You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing your thoughts! Enjoy!**

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REQUIEM FOR EMPYREANAN

There was a splash from below, so faint the alien wasn't even sure he'd heard it. And then the Doctor was submerged in complete and utter darkness.

Wet darkness. Loud and quiet all at once with _no air_.

Air. Breathe. Breathe. Air. Air.

He came up first, gasping painfully as he clawed at air and water alike, body weak and current so strong she was completely submerged a moment later. The Time Lord bobbed up and down, alternating between gasping for breath and yelling for his companion, a sound that came out as nothing more than a garbled yelp.

Meanwhile, Rose was thrown upon a cold, furry body, sucking in water as she attempted to scream in pain and horror. The young woman coughed as she rolled off to the side and pulled herself out of what appeared to be a river, gasping for breath between choking fits. A Qa. It was a dead Qa. She felt it's broken bones and twisted body when she was thrown up against its side… Its skeleton must have shattered upon contact with the water, making entry for the blonde and her companion less dangerous.

"Rose?!" His voice was raw as he yelled her name, coughing almost to the point of vomit immediately after. The Time Lord dragged himself up on the rocky bank, repressing a scream as he put weight on his right arm. Dislocated right shoulder. Right. Okay. Grunting, the Doctor pulled himself up using his other arm, grimacing at the pain his sprained wrist and broken fingers. Attempting to move his legs, the alien realized his had fractured his left tibia in the best of cases. Luckily, his spine felt fine, but he couldn't say the same for his toes and right hip.

Not bad for falling approximately ten stories.

Rose attempted to answer her companion's call, but a choking sound coming out instead. In the end, it made no matter. Rose felt the Doctor limp to her side, touching her gingerly as he asked what and where it hurt.

He should have never taken her here. Never. He should have listened when she had tried to tell him to leave, and now—He grabbed her torso and tried to lift her body, stopping immediately when the young woman screamed in pain. "Stop it STOP IT! _MY RIBS_. Oh my God, _my ribs_."

She had broken at least four.

The Doctor felt her back with his remaining good fingers, his pain tolerance incredible due to his remarkable genetics. He felt her spine and scalp, cooing reassurances in her ear. "Don't worry, Rose, it'll be okay. We're almost out, almost there. Just keep still, darling. There we are. I'm so sorry, Rose. You've no idea how sorry I am."

She looked up at him pathetically in the dark, not even truly knowing if she was looking at his face. "I don't want to die here, Doctor."

"You won't. We won't… I promise."

She nodded despite the fact that he couldn't see her, and that she knew it was another rotten lie. They wouldn't be okay. They'd be lucky to make it out alive. And right now, the odds were not in their favour. "Can you stand?" he asked softly.

"Think so," the blonde rasped out. And so, despite her fractured ankle and left arm, broken ribs and fingers, pounding head and profusely bleeding body and scalp, Rose Tyler stood on shaky legs, pushing up on her Time Lord for support as he did the same to her.

Unbidden, the memory of two nights ago filled the Time Lords thoughts and his heart ached. His TARDIS, the safety of holding of each as they drifted off… It all seemed a world away. And then the Doctor was struck with a thought: he was going to die here with as many regrets as he had years of life, the biggest of which being his feelings for the blonde beside him.

He loved her. Not that this was a secret; it was obvious to anyone around him, to himself and to his companion. And yet, he had made rules, built walls, and kept her at a safe distance. When the longing would get particularly difficult, the alien would tell himself that this was for their own good; that this was protecting them from further heartbreak… But he was now deeply regretting that decision.

What was that Earth saying?

It's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all.

Right now, the Doctor was wishing he'd kissed Rose all those random times he'd had the urge to do so. Right now, he was wishing that all those times he'd fantasized about her form sliding against his had been a reality. Right now, he was wishing that he'd told her he loved her every morning as she woke up, and every night as she went to sleep.

The pair stumbled through the black, feeling at walls and limping through over rocks and scraps of metal. Eventually, they came to a place that was paved, and then a place where the floor was covered in filthy white linoleum. How did they know it was white? Because, somehow, the room was very dimly lit. The Doctor figured it had to be some response from when he'd first triggered the lights, now that his sonic was drowned, but didn't dwell on it. Light was light.

And the light illuminated a very dirty-looking room.

Everything was in steel. From the benches with claw marks in them, to the metal stools, to the walls and ceiling, to the big, metal door on the other side of the room. There was some sort of dusty operating table that had been broken, and a dried, black substance covered what was left of it and the tools on the floor. Every few seconds the lights would flicker, but the Doctor pressed onwards, passing over ripped papers and shredded metal without a care, making for the door on the opposite end of the room. That was their best hope.

The Doctor was so focused on his task, so shaken up and broken, that he barely noticed Rose's hand slipping from his own as she stopped to stare at a particular corner of one of the benches.

_Closet-sized room-_

_BANG_

_How could I forget?!_

Her head began to pound and the young woman braced herself on the torn metal, grimacing as it felt like her skull was about to implode. The delicate skin of her palms ripped open, but she was too busy hyperventilating to notice.

"No. No no no no."

When the Doctor reached the door, he turned to find his companion gagging as she leaned over, collapsing on the ground. "Rose?"

_In a ripped suit and tie, with black pointed teeth and blood red eyes he stared blankly at her before wheezing and reaching forward-_

_SCREAM._

"Rose!" For the amount of time it had taken him to limp to the door, he was by her side in an instant, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at him despite his broken appendages. The blonde shook her head wildly, looking more insane in that moment than anyone he'd ever seen. Her body bruised and broke, hair askew, eyes wild and starved and scared. "_No, please._"

"Rose-"

_The Doctor imparts to his friends, tales of woe and war and blood _

_Warriors do they become, and fight until the night has come_

_And in the day they fade away, like humans all must turns to dust _

_The Doctor fades, the Doctor dies, all at the hands of whom he loves_

The pair were still, the blonde's chest rising and falling so rapidly her companion was sure she'd faint. She stayed standing, however, shaking her head as tears sprung from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks, taking dirt and grime with them.

"Rose?" the Doctor demanded in a whisper. "Focus. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's happening."

He felt like he'd been doused with a bucket of ice water. For the first time in seven hundred years, the Time Lord truly felt hopeless. He knew better than anyone that playing with the future was equivalent to playing with fire… And once seen, it was just as certain a fact than the past.

Now, there was nowhere to run. There was one way in, and the only way out was through the dark tunnel the whispers were emerging from. As the sounds drew nearer, shadows detached themselves from the black and walked into the room, bearing sharp, shining white teeth thick with salivation.

_The Doctor imparts to his friends, tales of woe and war and blood _

_Warriors do they become, and fight until the night has come_

_And in the day they fade away, like humans all must turns to dust _

_The Doctor fades, the Doctor dies, all at the hands of whom he loves_

The young woman's brain rattled in her skull as they repeated it like a mantra, slowly moving forward, their steps silent. The Doctor and Rose moved back, gripping each other's hands tightly.

But there was only so far back they could go.

Rose's back hit the big metal door and she whimpered, closing her eyes tightly. Her heartbeat was pounding in her head and when the blonde opened her eyes, her vision came back with black spots and white sparkles. She could barely hear her Time Lord putting on a brave face as he stepped only slightly forward, just enough to shield her broken body, and negotiate: "Wait! Wait."

The Qa stopped, heads tilting in confusion as the Doctor held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Good. This is good. Look at us, we're talking… Who ever said aggressive mutant Qa were unreasonable, eh?"

One of the shadows growled and lunged forward in mock attack, causing the Doctor to ever so slightly jump, despite the fact that he wanted to turn tail and run in the other direction. The odds had never been so bad. But the Time Lord held his ground, glowering at the beings with as much energy he could muster. "Listen very carefully," he said darkly, "because I am not happy. And when I'm not happy, I get very, _very_ difficult to get along with." He turned to the being that had lunged at him, narrowing his eyes. "You do that again, mate, and I'll make sure you never see daylight again. You lot are smart, next time you have a minute, look me up. I'm the Doctor. Destroyer of Worlds. The Oncoming Storm… And I'm giving you a choice: you either let my companion and I go silently, in which case you can keep your miserable existence, or you don't. If not, your lives end today."

Silence. And then came a noise. It sounded like an animal hacking up a hairball, and the Doctor could see as, one by one, the sound spread until the shadows were all quaking. Laughing, the Time Lord realized in horror, they're laughing at me.

Another shadow all of a sudden made for him, the alien pushing Rose of the way as he jumped to the side himself. "Stop! Stop… _Come on_, we're broken. Tired. I mean in the name of the Seven Systems, look at how skinny we are! Barely any meat on our bones, I'd say. Is it really worth all that effort? We're really more trouble than we're worth. You'll spend most of your time gnawing on bones! Especially with her." He pointed to the human behind him. "Besides," the Doctor continued. "We're filthy! Damaged goods. You don't go to a grocer and pick up the most bruised banana, do you?"

But it had seemed that the Qa were tired of playing with their food:

_Talk is fine and good and swell_

_But nobody can hear you yell_

_Meat is meat we see your dread_

_It doesn't matter once you're dead_

Then the Doctor was speaking to her, muttering: "Rose, run. Take the sonic, open this door, and run. The emergency light just turned on so you've got about fifteen minutes before it dies."

She looked at him, face empty. He shook her. "Rose, _listen to me_. Run. Now."

The young woman blinked, barely registering what he was saying. "Can't leave you," she murmured.

"Please," he whispered, broken as he pressed his mouth to hers softly. "I can't watch you die. You need to be safe."

She looked at him, face contorted into one of pain as his words came through the fuzz in her head. Though whether she was hurting from her head or his unspoken profession, she wasn't sure. "N-No," she ground out.

But he was already shoving the sonic into her hand. He kissed her one last time, turning to the shadow creatures with a glare as he dropped her hand. The Doctor didn't look back, taking a deep breath before stepping forward:

"Allons-y."

He was thrown across the room with a sickening crunch, even more bloodied as he hauled himself up, coughing blood. "ROSE, RUN _NOW_!"

She could barely hear him, his scream muddled in with the darkness and the whispers. The whisperswhisperswhispers. Slick like oil and cold like ice they froze her, her mind flashing and body shaking. She could feel her helpless meat, see her surroundings clearly, but could not move. She was trapped in her own mind, helpless as the Doctor was grabbed, his clothes tearing as the Qa scratched at him. She felt like screaming, like collapsing on the floor, like her head would explode… But her body only let fall a single tear.

"_Rose, get back to the TARDIS!"_

"_DOCTOR!"_

"_The Doctor imparts to his friends…"_

_Death and death and death and-_

"_Just let this old box gather dust."_

"_Bring me back!"_

"_Tales of woe and war and blood."_

"_False God."_

"_You are tiny."_

"_DOCTOR!"_

_I am the Bad Wolf. _

A flash of golden light. A scream. A yell. A crack and a rumble.

And Rose Tyler fell to floor.


	6. Coda to the End

**Next chapter! Not entirely sure when it's gonna end, but I'm pretty sure we only have two to three chapters left, including epilogue... Which is INSANE. Thanks so much to: imsuchanut, Horsegirl, krikanalo, Caraoke-Cherry, TenRose4ever, cailinbeag, Mist101, Evelyn Rose Caiside, MuppetKatie and GryffindorGrl97 for reviewing! You guys made me so incredibly happy! **

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CODA TO THE END

The Doctor was fighting a war. Surrounding by ghosts and shadows, he was in the thick of it. Then again, it seemed he always was. No matter where the Time Lord travelled, violence and death followed him like a plague.

He wanted to give up.

He wanted to stop fighting and rest.

It was tiring, living with more than nine hundred years of baggage and collecting more with each day. It wasn't a life he'd wish on anybody.

God, he was exhausted. He had been walking for hours now… Couldn't he sleep? He wanted to sleep. The Time Lord suddenly paused, looking around in alarm. No, no this was wrong. He had just been fighting. He remembered _fighting_.

And now he remembered walking.

The alien frowned, trying to make sense of it despite his muddled head. He was missing something. What was he missing? He could swear it was right on the tip of his—"_Rose_."

"Rose?! ROSE!"

No answer.

The Time Lord stopped, hands pulling at his hair as he tried to think. He paced in what appeared to be a forest clearing, hitting his forehead and muttering to himself. Rose was gone. He'd lost her. How was it possible that he'd lost her? No, it was impossible. Wrong. There was no way… And yet the proof lay before his very eyes. "I was fighting," the Time Lord muttered. "I was fighting and now I'm here. No Rose each time."

Pocket Universe? No, too hard to get to. And the possibility of such a manifestation was incredibly low.

Dream? No, it felt too real. Besides, he had pinched himself.

What else was there?

On edge, the Time Lord ground his teeth together and began his trek through the seemingly endless woods. "Rose?!"

He'd find her if it was the last miserable thing he did.

Rose Tyler woke to near darkness, her heart and head pounding as she sucked in air, choking on dirt. Attempting to lift her torso, the young woman panicked to find that moving was an effort, and eventually realized that she was half covered in metal and rocks. "Doctor?" Her voice was hoarse and talking made her feel like vomiting. The blonde swallowed, eyes adjusting to an odd glow, heart jumping to her throat at the source of it: the TARDIS. "Oh, thank God."

Scrambling to her feet, the blonde looked around, bypassing the piles of crumpled shadows half submerged in rubble and making a beeline for the human-looking shape under a pile of rocks. It looked like there had been some kind of explosion, something that had almost completely shattered the tunnel they were currently trapped in. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay."

The young woman threw herself down beside her alien, only barely seeing his face in the dim. "Doctor?" Rose touched him obsessively, stroking his hair and cheeks, freeing his body from the dirt. It was amazing how adrenaline subdued pain and injury.

"No," she muttered. "No, you're okay. You have to be okay. WAKE UP." She shook him, collapsing on his chest when there was no response. Her hand reached up to feel for a pulse: Faint. Faint but there.

"Doctor, wake up, please. Please, Doctor… We need to leave. You need to wake up so we can leave." She looked at his prone form expectantly, hopefully, brushing back his fringe as tears sprang to her eyes. "Please," she murmured, leaning down towards his face. "Please, wake up."

She kissed him. Nothing happened.

Honestly, she didn't know what she'd been expecting. She figured it was the five year-old girl inside her, chanting that a kiss always woke the prince from sleep. Stupid. Fairytales weren't reality… If she hadn't known that before, she knew that now. Jumping into the TARDIS had been nothing but a big lesson in how happy endings were so rare, they may as well never exist. Everything came at a price, and that price was usually paid in blood.

Rose Tyler forced the tears down, clearing her throat as she reached under her shirt for her TARDIS key. It was gone. Water prickling at her eyes again, the young woman shook her head and stood up, dragging her alien out of the rubble as best she could. She couldn't fly his ship on her own. Though he'd taught her a few things here and there, there was no way she'd be able to do it alone.

In any case, in there was the safest place on the planet. Grunting, the young woman pulled the Doctor right up to the door, pushing at it with her back in an attempt to open it. Nothing.

"Come on," she growled.

Rose set her companion on the floor, jiggling the handle and pushing. Nothing. She rammed the door multiple times with her shoulder. Nothing. The blonde pleaded, yelled, whispered; she cried out to the machine, begging it to open.

Nothing.

Not until she noticed her fingers. They were glowing golden, with the same stuff that had surrounded the Time Lord when he had regenerated. Looking at her extremities, the blonde's eyes widened when the glittering light extended to her entire right hand. Rose didn't know how, but she knew what she had to do.

Stepping forward, the young woman pressed her hand to the TARDIS door, watching as the ship absorbed the golden glow despite the fact that her hand burned white-hot. She then easily pushed the piece of wood open.

First she was blinded. The sharp smells of the TARDIS followed immediately after, making her stomach growl and heart yearn for her home in the stars. Leaning against the ship's side, Rose was about to cry from happiness. "Thank you." Pushing herself upright, she grunted, groaning against the pain in her body as the young woman grabbed hold of the Doctor, almost dropping him when his skin began to glow golden.

Not like this.

He couldn't change. Not now. Not when they had come so far. He couldn't leave her there, on this deathtrap of a planet, to deal with a new person whom she didn't even know… Who might not even like her. He wasn't allowed to change. He was not allowed to die. He—They were supposed to leave before any of this had happened… She had _told_ him.

In an act of desperation, Rose shook her companion roughly, yelling at him to wake until she had no more voice. Her side was aching, her breathing coming in short spurts. And her head, oh God her head; it felt like her brain was about to explode out of her ears. The Doctor's body glowed brighter.

The dam broke.

Crumbling to the floor beside her Time Lord, she sobbed, burying her face in hands. "Not like this," she whispered between sobs, "it was never meant to end like this."

She sat there for what felt like an eternity before finally getting up, noticing that despite the glow that had by now ebbed, his face still hadn't changed. However, she didn't get her hopes up. Rose Tyler knew little and less of regeneration, maybe every it was different every time. Bending down, the young woman kissed her companion's forehead, sighing into his filthy skin before dragging him into his ship, albeit slowly. He was heavier than he looked, and her muscles cried out in protest against the extra weight.

By the time the young woman dragged the Doctor to the medbay, his glowing had ebbed to being barely noticeable. Heaving a breath of relief, the blonde pushed him onto the examination table, too tired and grateful to look a gift horse in the mouth. Despite being worse for the wear, her Doctor was the same; that was all that mattered.

His nose was broken and his right shoulder looked like it had been dislocated. Looking down at her hands, the young woman found them drenched in blood from his face and scalp, despite the fact that, oddly, there seemed to be no open wounds. His left ankle looked broken, as did a multitude of his fingers. His hair was a bloodied mess. It had been hard to see in the tunnels, but she saw everything clearly now.

It made her want to vomit.

"Okay. Okay. Okay." Fetching the osteum and dermal regenerators, Rose went to work on healing him. She rid him of the ribbons of material covering his skin and popped his shoulder back in. She knitted his broken bones, and found that his previously lacerated skin had miraculously healed itself… A thing for which she was forever grateful. As the young woman worked at washing out his hair and dabbing the dried blood from his face, she began to feel cold and shaky herself. The blonde pressed onwards, however; she was not the main concern.

Half an hour later, the young woman was shivering violently, feeling nauseous and lightheaded as well as cold. She shed her own clothing, weakly attempting to use the osteum regenerator in order fix her ribs first. Every breath she took was like a knife.

But the blonde was too weak, especially when the machine began to work. It clattered to the floor as the blonde screamed, shaking. She felt it. She _felt_ her bones being fitted back together. Stumbling to a chair, Rose put her head between her legs to keep from fainting. She then vomited before promptly passing out on the floor dirty, bruised and broken.

All the while, the Doctor fought. In the never-ending planes of his subconscious, he scoured deserts for her, swam seas for her… He woke to blinding light, the stink of sickness and blood and human waste enough to make him gag. He then searched, disoriented, for his companion only to find her lying in a puddle of her own refuse and vomit. Still nude, the Time Lord jumped down from the examination table, feeling for a pulse as his hearts pounded in his chest. "Rose," he murmured, panicked. "Rose, wake up. ROSE."

Her pulse was there, but faint. From the looks of it, she had major trouble breathing. The Time Lord suddenly remembered his human complaining about her ribs. "Punctured lung," he muttered. "Along with broken fingers, arm, and a possible concussion. Hang in there, Rose."

He grabbed the osteum regenerator.

The blonde came out of her subconscious only state to scream, begging him to please stop the pain because didn't he love her enough to listen and oh God _pleasepleasepleaseplease_ have MERCY.

But the Doctor didn't stop. He continued, despite the fact that each scream and yell made him want to crawl out of his skin. "Please, just listen. This will make you better. I need to make you better."

So he fixed her ribs and hooked her up to oxygen and an IV for hydration. He checked to see if her pupils were dilated and let her fall back asleep, knowing that even if she did have a concussion, there was no real fear of falling into a coma. He covered her bare form in a blanket and tucked her into the small bed in the far corner of the room, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he sat at her bedside, fidgeting.

He was cold. _Cold._

Hesitant to leave her, the Time Lord decided against running to his wardrobe for his regular suit and tie. Instead, he clothed himself in an old burgundy t-shirt and some jeans lying around from his previous face. His leaner form swam in the material, but the Time Lord figured that untailored clothing was the least of his current worries.

For one, his companion was unconscious and currently scaring the remaining life out of him. Secondly, he had healed, yes, but healing comas were not without consequence: the Doctor felt like he'd been hit by a bus. Walking back over to his pink and yellow human, the Time Lord sighed as he sat down, fingers running through her soot-filled hair. "You were right, you know. There was nothing left for us here… For me. You're the only responsibility I have and look at you." He scrubbed his face with his hands, the words forcing themselves from his throat. "Wherever I go, death and destruction seem to follow. I'm a plague; everything I touch turns to dust. But you need to wake up form this, Rose. You have to. Because if you don't, I will never forgive myself."

One more reason to run across the Universe.

"I'm so _so_ sorry."

He wasn't expecting an answer from her, not really, but was disappointed all the same when she stayed silent. The amount of affection he had for this Child of Earth was unprecedented and dangerous, but the Doctor was finding it hard to keep his distance at this articular moment in time. Tracing her face, the Time Lord ran his thumb over her bottom lip, wanting more than anything to kiss her and have her respond.

He loved her, plain and simple. And he vowed, he _swore_ to show her everyday when she awoke. Because, yes, he had been trying to protect himself by keeping his distance; he had been trying to protect _her_… But after the Qa, after almost losing her; after watching her lie prone on the bed, the Doctor threw all his rules to the hell human were so fond of referencing.

Yes, life hurt. In nine hundred plus years of existence, he had been hurt and pushed around enough to know that the Universe made no exceptions. He was alone, and would be alone again. He would lose Rose, the one who came after Rose, and the one who came after that. He would lose them all a hundred times over, and he had thought that staying relatively distant was an indispensable protective measure.

He was wrong.

Because happiness, love, true companionship… all these things were _worth_ running to the ends of the Universe for. It was worth the inevitable heartbreak, and the hope it would bring that the bitter end would evade him this time. And so, the alien got himself comfortable, holding his companion's hand as he ran a thumb over her skin, his eyes closing in exhaustion.

He loved her… And that was not something to withhold. Not anymore.


	7. Legato

Hi guys! I've been away for a while, but this chapter was giving me a lot of difficulty. Also, I DID GISHWHES (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen) THIS YEAR. If any of you've never done it, I strongly recommend it... most ridiculously awesome week of my life! That being said, I'm sorry I've made you wait :P

Huge thank you to: krikanalo, imsuchanut, Caraoke-Cherry, TenRose4ever, MuppetKatie, Lillith Roze and rycbarm123 for reviewing. You guys make my day every time!

Slight warning: the end of this is ALL fluff. I figured it was time for some cuteness.

**IMPORTANT:** This is the last chapter of Dream a Little Dream. It's been an awesome ride, and I am so grateful and happy that you guys enjoyed it. Thanks for sticking with me!

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LEGATO

It came back in smells, odors dancing across her blank mind in a series of misted colours. Blues and purples filled the blackness as Rose Tyler became self-aware, her mouth dry as sandpaper and throat raw, head throbbing dully. She felt like she weighed a ton of bricks, and had to consciously make an effort to crack her eyes open. The blonde took a deep breath as she did, her sides splitting in sharp pain, knuckles turning white.

Eye fluttering open, the young woman came face to face with a blinding white light that faded into what appeared to be the TARDIS medbay. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, especially considering her position before the world went black… But it wasn't this. It wasn't waking up alone.

Starting to panic, the young woman forced herself up despite her creaking limbs and protesting body. As her heart rate sped up, so did her breathing, and the young woman soon found in impossible to breathe, frowning at the odd feeling in her nose, she reached up and pulled the oxygen-carrying nibs from her nostrils, coughing and choking as she attempted to breathe normally. Her lungs took over painfully within the next few seconds. Rose then looked around wildly, the white world blurry and spinning before her and she choked on the sandpaper covering her throat. Where was the Doctor? Where was her Time Lord? Why wasn't he where she had left him? Her recent memories bombarded her mind in a siege of desperation and hopelessness. "D-Doc-"

And then he was there, touching her face, giving her water, smiling. He murmured nothings and nonsense into her filthy hair, telling her not to speak and saying her name as if it held the secret to his nine hundred years in this Universe. "Oh thank Rassilon. Thank the Seven Systems and God and the Mother and any other deity that may or may not exist because you, Rose Tyler… Beautiful, brilliant, heroic Rose Tyler, you are so very much alive."

She smiled then, the dry skin of her lips cracking painfully as she hacked out a cough, reaching out for him. The Doctor wasted no time in sitting down and taking his companion into his arms, breathing her stale, ripe, sickly smell as if she was composed entirely of literal roses. She heard it, then, so soft and scared she would later think she had imagined it: "I love you. Rassilon help me, I do. I do."

She didn't say a word, too weak to do much but be held by the Time Lord, all limbs and dead weight. He didn't mind, though… He was happy to be holding her warm body at all.

Rose fell asleep while the Doctor stood vigil for his companion, stroking her hair and kissing her dirty cheeks and forehead in odd intervals until her body saw fit to wake again. He stayed there for eight hours.

When Rose woke the second time, she felt more normal. She could see without feeling dizzy, and her chest, though aching, was a manageable hurt. Besides, the young woman thought, there are worse ways to wake up than in the Doctor's arms. By that point, he had fallen prey to sleep as well, an action so rare the blonde wondered how long it had been since Empyreanan. Touching the Time Lord's face gently, Rose traced his lips and cheek, smiling when he nuzzled into her fingers. Opening his eyes blearily, the alien was confused for a moment, understanding blossoming across his face in the form of a smile as his companion said hello.

He repeated the greeting back to her.

And though the young woman would have loved nothing more than to be blissfully ignorant and unaware of the past, present and future before them, Rose couldn't help but immediately think about their most recent traumatic experience. How had the TARDIS just materialized? How had she entered without a key? Why did it looked like half the tunnel had collapsed on top of them? What was the boom? The flash? She opened her mouth: "How-"

The Doctor stopped her, shaking his head as he removed his finger from her mouth, albeit reluctantly. "Do you remember when you absorbed the Time Vortex, all that time ago?" She opened her mouth again and the alien cut her off: "Don't speak, just nod or something."

She shook her head.

"I mean, not that you remember exactly what happened or how it felt, but that you opened up the TARDIS and save my life. You remember that, don't you?"

A nod.

The Doctor let out a shaky breath. "Right. Well, when you saved me and you absorbed the Vortex, your mind created a wall between your normal memories and feelings, and those you experienced as the Bad Wolf. You remember Bad Wolf, yes?"

Another nod.

"You remember that you were Bad Wolf?"

More nodding.

"Good. These memories and feelings… they possessed Vortex energy. They were shielded from the rest of you because releasing that much energy into your brain and body would have the power to kill you quickly in the best of circumstances." A pause. "You said you had dreams about the Qa before we met them. Now, keep in mind that I'm brilliant and never wrong about these things, but I believe that the Vortex leaked beyond the wall and that was your dream, which consequently, ended up being a sort of warning. Not that it was leaking out to save us, it just happened that, after our recent history with intense physical and mental trauma, the wall in your head began to break."

"But you died-" She cut herself off with a wince, the Doctor giving her some more water with a worried smile.

"Don't speak, your throat is raw. Rose, you saw one outcome of the future. The Time Vortex is time happening all at once. That dream was one way it could have ended." She nodded slowly, trying to wrap her head around the whole thing, but the Doctor wasn't finished. "The reason we made it out alive was, again, because of Bad Wolf. All the stress must had shattered the wall completely, releasing all the energy inside your head. The only way you survived was the sheer force of the stress and fear that broke the wall itself. The slow leak would have probably poisoned you, and remembering slowly would have crumbled the wall, melting your brain entirely… But obliterating the wall? It took just enough time for the energy to be expelled like a nuclear explosion."

She spoke softly, the need for answers greater than her aching throat. "And the TARDIS? When I woke up She was there and the tunnel had collapsed and then I touched it and it opened without a key and you-"

"The tunnel can be explained by the explosion; something goes boom, things collapse. As for the TARDIS, it's kind of like an emergency setting: She sensed the energy and materialized because of it. As for your hand, you most likely had some residual energy that came out of your body by way of it when it touched the ship. The Vortex energy wasn't enough to properly kill me, but I was in a healing coma because of it. However, I'm assuming it disposed of all the Qa in the area." He said the last darkly, as if, despite everything that had happened, he still hated the fact that, once again, he had committed genocide.

But this time, it _wasn't_ his fault. It was hers.

Rose touched his hand. "It wasn't your fault. It was me this time."

He smiled at her, that smile that served to mask whatever emotion he was currently feeling. "You should eat something. I'll be back." And he kissed her forehead, and he was gone.

The young woman wanted to shake him violently. Because didn't he understand? Didn't he see that there was no choice? And furthermore, didn't he comprehend that they were _evil_? There had been no reasoning with them.

Rose uncomfortably realized that he had never felt more alien than in that moment.

She supposed that she could understand. It was a stretch, but she knew that he valued any and all life… Which then begged the question: why didn't she? The answer she wanted to give was because that moment had been black and white: kill or be killed. But it wasn't, was it? Not really. Because even though, at that point, the Qa had been about to kill them, she hadn't thought about how much pain they must have experienced, how much pain they were still experiencing, and how terrible the entire experimentation process must have been. The Doctor said that they had been a peaceful species, before.

But for her, it had been fight or flight.

She argued that they were not longer the Qa, that these mutations were a vile mistake. They deserved to die for what they did to the rest of the planet, and honestly, so did Marun Yuld. It was his fault.

Except that he had been driven mad. Rose could not imagine living completely alone for years on end, watching as fewer and fewer people came to visit. Experimenting had been wrong, but Marun had been at desperate. Insane. In the end, would she have done any different?

The young woman bit her lip, uncomfortably realizing that the situation had been more grey than anything else. But she supposed that, when truly thought about, nothing was black and white. Yes, it was a 'them or me' situation. Her brain had freaked out, making the decision for her, and ultimately her body had done what needed to be done. She didn't really regret the deaths… What Rose regretted was what happened beforehand; the wilting of a planet that had previously been Paradise.

Perhaps this was the limitation of the human condition.

The Doctor entered then, making note of Rose's subtle change in demeanor as he sat down beside her. A tray offering a stack of pancakes, a bright pink syrup, and a peach was placed in front of her. Rose smiled at him, though the thing did not reach her eyes. "You won't eat with me?"

He shook his head. "Don't need to, Time Lords-"

"Have you eaten anything since you woke up?"

The alien was silent and his companion gave a satisfied nod. "You'll eat with me, then. We've enough food here to feed at least five," she looked at the syrup suspiciously. "What's that?"

"Murgberry syrup. Sweet, slightly tangy… tastes sparkly." The Doctor grinned, "Thought you'd need a little cheering up."

"From what?"

"You don't look happy, Rose."

The blonde gave a small smile. "Do people usually look happy after ordeals like this?"

He shrugged, nudging her over as he moved an arm to wrap around her, his companion cuddling into his side. "People have all sorts of reactions to ordeals like this… But _you_ usually look a lot more relieved."

She looked at her fingers as they fiddled with the hem of his shirt. It was a little odd, having him be so close and touchy-feely, especially with him wearing the clothes from his other face. Focused intensely on her hand, Rose ran the appendage across his stomach, feeling his muscles contract. He was swimming in the excess material. "This stuff is too big for you now," she murmured.

The Doctor easily slid his fingers between hers. "I'm still me."

"I know."

"Besides," the alien grinned, "I think these ears are an improvement from the others."

Rose allowed herself a smile. "I liked your old ears!"

"And what do you like about me now?"

The question was not rushed, nor was it blurted out. It was genuine, thought out and asked curiously. He had made the decision to ask this. Rose looked up to have the Time Lord gazing at her intensely despite the light blush that started at the collar of his shirt.

The human's heartbeat doubled speed in her chest, and she bit her lip. "I…" But as she trailed off, she saw all the confidence on his face melt away with the dwindling volume of her voice. For all his confidence, this was still experimental.

And Rose Tyler would not let him fall alone.

"I like your hair," she said softly, a hand running through the soft strands. "I like your hands." Her fingers squeezed his. "I like your eyes, I like the fact that you're brilliant and funny..." She chanced a look at his lips. "I like your mouth and the freckles on your nose and cheeks. I like _you_."

He smirked then with all the arrogance in the world, though Rose could see how genuinely happy her words had made him. "You think I'm dishy?"

"I didn't say that."

"You _do_! Rose Tyler, you think I'm irresistible! Attractive! _Hot stuff_! And you like my bum."

Rose was blushing furiously now. "I do not! Who said anything about your bum?!"

"You did. Just now. Why? You _don't_ like my bum?"

"Well, I-"

"Because I like yours."

The world seemed to stop, and suddenly, the Doctor's cocky, teasing tone was replaced by something much more soft and caring. "I like your hair, and your eyes and your hands. I like the way you hug me and hold my hand to tell me it's going to be all right. I like that I don't have to talk with you, and that when we do you always know just what to say. I like your mouth, but even more I like your smile. And I… Rose, I _love_ you."

Rose was speechless. She looked at him for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. He was vulnerable, and made that much clear by the way he obsessively searched her face for some kind of reaction. But the blonde had none. She merely—slowly, leaned forward, hesitating ever so slightly before pressing her mouth to his.

She had no idea how else to answer him.

The young woman didn't move; for fear of displacing the tray or waking up she wasn't entirely certain. But when the alien began to reciprocate, Rose was sure she wasn't dreaming: this was better than anything her subconscious had managed.

It wasn't long; a short little thing that served as her agreement and oh so very different than the kiss she given him in her desperation only hours before. This one meant something. This one was _mutual_. Even so, the Doctor was having trouble masking his nerves. "Do you… love me?"

He knew he was being stupid; of course she did. All her behaviour towards him pointed to nothing but all-encompassing affection… But he needed to hear her say it. He couldn't go into this without being completely sure.

For the first time, Rose saw real fear and nervousness on the Doctor's face. Sure, she had seen him worried before, but never like this. This was different. This was him letting her in. So she didn't answer with a: 'do you really need to ask?' The young woman merely smiled. "Of course. Doctor, of course I do."

And then she crawled out from under the tray over her legs despite her tired body, climbed into the alien's lap, and kissed him.


	8. Epilogue

**So, I lied... I wrote an epilogue:P Thanks so much to rycbarm123, imsuchanut, kirkanalo and a Guest for reviewing!**

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EPILOGUE

A shadow moved in the darkness, burnt and whimpering as it hobbled along broken tunnels and mangled metal. It travelled deeper and deeper into darkness, weeping for the loss of its brothers and sisters, its tears acid on the earthy ground.

And then it stopped.

Reaching for the dirt, in the core of the planet Empyreanan, a shadow found a small silver key on a hempen string.

_Rise again, oh rise I will_

_To avenge brother's blood was spilled_

_Fear me, Doctor_

_Fear me, Rose_

_For I will rise and end you both_


End file.
